| Which console? [message #381085] |
Tue, 25 November 2008 13:19  |
 Shane Smith
Messages: 372
Registered: December 2006
Location: Ireland |
Has No Life |
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We currently use a few Minimacs, a pair of EFX600's, a single Smartmac (we'll be getting him some brothers and sisters very soon) and some LED cans on a tripod as well as some LED Wall Wash units in the post. We have an Elation Magic 260 which is ok but would like something with better build quality (buttons falling off  ) and better integration for non-Elation fixtures.
What would be the natural step up into industry-standard consoles from where we are now?
We've only really just began touching the surface of lighting (smaller shows, think hotels/corporate etc) but we're making steps in the right direction. We have a Martin Hazer too so the desired outcome is to get all of this stuff working together to create nice scenes and shows for live work.
I've seen/heard or Avolites Pearl desks around, and people have mentioned 'Fat Frog' to me as well. Had initially considered Lightjockey but not sure about PC based stuff anymore.
Is there an SM58 of the lighting console world?
[Updated on: Tue, 25 November 2008 13:20]
School is never out.
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| Re: Which console? [message #381166 is a reply to message #381119 ] |
Tue, 25 November 2008 20:04  |
Duane Massey
Messages: 1460
Registered: January 2006
Location: Houston, Tx |
Has No Life |
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Shane, the Magic 260 is a truly lame controller. Depending upon your needs (live control, pre-programmed only, etc), virtually any controller in the $ 800 and up would be an improvement.
More details would be good.
Duane Massey
Houston, Texas, USA
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| Re: Which console? [message #381217 is a reply to message #381166 ] |
Tue, 25 November 2008 23:45 |
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in order of preference for a club (where you're programming on the fly 80%+ of the time):
Avolites Pearl
Hog 1000
Jands Vista I3
GrandMA Ultralight
Hog 500
you can find a used pearl 2000 or 2004 for under $7000 pretty easily...it's simple to program and great for on the fly stuff...a hog 1k and a vista are slightly more, in the 8-9k range, GMUL will run you $18k+ (used) and the hog 500 is close to the same as a pearl
alternatively you could go with some PC based interface, like lightjockey, but they're only as reliable as the PC you're running them on...so not very
BE: "Why don't your subs do 200hz?"
Me (LD) + Systems Tech: "Cause they're subs?"
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| Re: Which console? [message #381292 is a reply to message #381271 ] |
Wed, 26 November 2008 07:49 |
Wes Kennison
Messages: 32
Registered: May 2007
Location: Baton Rouge, LA |
Should Get Out More |
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For that price range (2k) I'd recomend the Zero 88 products, intuitive design, decent effects engine, easy programming and good customer support.
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| Re: Which console? [message #381482 is a reply to message #381271 ] |
Wed, 26 November 2008 15:30 |
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| Shane Smith wrote on Wed, 26 November 2008 05:29 |
Hmmm...budget wise I hadn't set anything in stone but the figure in my head was around $2k so that would rule out those super expensive ones listed.
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i hardly listed anything 'super expensive' (a tour grade lighting console runs about 15k+), but for around $2000, you're pretty much looking at a PC based controller
MA OnPC + a 2Port node is roughly in that price range
martin lightjockey is less than that, around 1k if i remember correctly
the Vista M1 might also fit your budget, but I think it's a bit more than 2k including laptop
there's also hog on pc with a widget, which would be comparable to the MA price, possibly a bit less
[Updated on: Wed, 26 November 2008 15:31]
BE: "Why don't your subs do 200hz?"
Me (LD) + Systems Tech: "Cause they're subs?"
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| Re: Which console? [message #381783 is a reply to message #381649 ] |
Fri, 28 November 2008 01:43 |
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from what I'm reading on Zero88's site, the Jester is unable to control moving lights, which will make it pretty useless for your application
Martin LightJockey is probably cheaper too
BE: "Why don't your subs do 200hz?"
Me (LD) + Systems Tech: "Cause they're subs?"
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| Re: Which console? [message #382625 is a reply to message #381085 ] |
Mon, 01 December 2008 20:42 |
Tim Cahall
Messages: 7
Registered: November 2008 |
Newbie |
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I have to throw in the MagicQ line from Chamsys. You can download a fully functional PC controller for free from chamsys.co.uk It will run with an Enttec USB dongle (I'd stick with the Pro) and will provide touring grade functionality. Also, the software is the same from the free PC version up to the full scale console.
Worth the look and a great place to start.
Tim.
Timothy K. Cahall
The Main Event, Inc.
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